September 15: Russian Strikes in Ukraine and Kennedy Center Closure Vote

In Ukraine Russian attacks killed at least five people and injured more than a dozen across Ukraine, as a Ukrainian unit said it had begun a counteroffensive near the eastern city of Lyman. Separately, Russia began early voting for its parliamentary elections in occupied parts of the Donetsk region, with armed personnel accompanying election officials and voters. In Washington A coalition of civil-rights and police-accountability groups is suing the Justice Department for records on the shutdown of the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database. The nonpublic database had logged more than 5,200 federal officer misconduct incidents before President Trump ordered it deleted in 2025. The groups say the DOJ has not answered their records request for 10 months and want to know whether the information was preserved or destroyed. A federal judge ruled that Trump’s name cannot be added to the Kennedy Center building. Hours later, the Trump-appointed board voted to close the venue for two years, though the closure cannot proceed unless the judge lifts an injunction. Further litigation is likely. Trump has said he will not support renovations without his name on the building. In business The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note briefly rose to 5.04 percent, its highest level since 2007, before easing. Higher Treasury yields feed through to mortgages, corporate borrowing, and other consumer loan rates, tightening financial conditions across the economy. In Turkey Turkish authorities detained at least 150 people outside an Istanbul court, where demonstrators had planned to protest recent raids against LGBTQ+ groups. Dozens had already been arrested in police actions targeting gay bars and private homes. The government says the campaign is intended to protect traditional family values.